Lignocellulose conversion into cellulosic ethanol and coproducts starts with a pretreatment step.Most current industrial plants of cellulosic ethanol use thermochemical pretreatments under hydrothermal conditions,with...Lignocellulose conversion into cellulosic ethanol and coproducts starts with a pretreatment step.Most current industrial plants of cellulosic ethanol use thermochemical pretreatments under hydrothermal conditions,with or without addition of acid catalyst.Such pretreatments modify biomass chemistry and morphology,particularly at the nanoscale.In this work,we use X-ray diffraction,dynamic vapor sorption and calorimetric thermoporometry to investigate the biomass nanostructural changes promoted by hydrothermal conditions.We compare and differentiate the rind and pith fractions of sugarcane stalks in order to contribute to the understanding of rind-pith contrasting recalcitrance.Moreover,for both cane fractions our results point consistently to cellulose co-crystallization,lignin aggregation,and opening of nanoscale pores as the main nanostructural phenomena occurring during hydrothermal treatments.展开更多
AIM To investigate the effect of probiotic supplementation during the development of an experimental model of colitis associated colon cancer(CAC). METHODS C57 BL/6 mice received an intraperitoneal injection of azoxym...AIM To investigate the effect of probiotic supplementation during the development of an experimental model of colitis associated colon cancer(CAC). METHODS C57 BL/6 mice received an intraperitoneal injection of azoxymethane(10 mg/kg), followed by three cycles of sodium dextran sulphate diluted in water(5% w/v). Probiotic group received daily a mixture of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacil us rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Microbiota composition was assessed by 16 Sr RNA Illumina Hi Seq sequencing. Colon samples were collected for histological analysis. Tumor cytokines was assessed by Real Time-PCR(Polymerase Chain Reaction); and serum cytokines by Multiplex assay. All tests were two-sided. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Graphs were generated and statistical analysis performed using the software Graph Pad Prism 5.0. The project was approved by the institutional review board committee. RESULTS At day 60 after azoxymethane injection, the mean number of tumours in the probiotic group was 40% lower than that in the control group, and the probiotic group exhibited tumours of smaller size(< 2 mm)(P < 0.05). There was no difference in richness and diversity between groups. However, there was a significant difference in beta diversity in the multidimensional scaling analysis. The abundance of the genera Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Allobaculum, Clostridium XI and Clostridium XVⅢ increased in the probiotic group(P < 0.05). The microbial change was accompanied by reduced colitis, demonstrated by a 46% reduction in the colon inflammatory index; reduced expression of the serum chemokines RANTES and Eotaxin; decreased p-IKK and TNF-α and increased IL-10 expression in the colon. CONCLUSION Our results suggest a potential chemopreventive effect of probiotic on CAC. Probiotic supplementation changes microbiota structure and regulates the inflammatory response, reducing colitis and preventing CAC.展开更多
Sugarcane is used worldwide for sugar, ethanol and energy production. In Brazil, the shift from burned to unburned harvest systems resulted in increases in nitrogen fertilization rates, which can impact root architect...Sugarcane is used worldwide for sugar, ethanol and energy production. In Brazil, the shift from burned to unburned harvest systems resulted in increases in nitrogen fertilization rates, which can impact root architecture and biomass. The expectation is also an increase in sugarcane biomass. The study hypothesized that high N rates applied to sugarcane fields increases root growth and N stored in roots, promoting higher biomass and N accumulated in shoots. Two experiments were set up in Southeastern Brazil, on a Typic Kandiudox (TK) and Rhodic Eutrudox (RE). Four treatments were studied 1) N application in the plant-cane (0 and 120 kg·ha-1 N) and 2) N application in the ratoon (0 and 150 kg·ha-1 N). The shoot biomass and the root density (by the core method up to 0.6 m) were evaluated over the first ratoon crop cycle, and the N content in those compartments was also examined. There was no carry over effect on N applied at planting in root and shoot biomass in the ratoon crop cycle. At the RE site, the ratoon N fertilization increased root density in the superficial soil layer (0 - 0.2 m) and close to the plants (<0.3 m). The effect of N addition on root biomass, and biomass and N accumulated in shoot was limited in both sites. Increasing N rates in unburned sugarcane fields do not consistently increases root and shoot biomass under Brazilian field conditions.展开更多
The control of gene expression by transcriptional regulators and other types of functional y relevant DNA transactions such as chromatin remodeling and replication underlie a vast spectrum of biological processes in a...The control of gene expression by transcriptional regulators and other types of functional y relevant DNA transactions such as chromatin remodeling and replication underlie a vast spectrum of biological processes in al organisms. DNA transactions require the control ed interaction of proteins with DNA sequence motifs which are often located in nucleosome-depleted regions （NDRs） of the chromatin. Formaldehyde-assisted isolation of regulatory elements （FAIRE） has been established as an easy-to-implement method for the isolation of NDRs from a number of eukaryotic organisms, and it has been successful y employed for the discovery of new regulatory segments in genomic DNA from, for example, yeast, Drosophila, and humans. Until today, however, FAIRE has only rarely been employed in plant research and currently no detailed FAIRE protocol for plants has been published. Here, we provide a step-by-step FAIRE protocol for NDR discovery in Arabidopsis thaliana. We demonstrate that NDRs isolated from plant chromatin are readily amenable to quantitative polymerase chain reaction and next-generation sequencing. Only minor modification of the FAIRE protocol wil be needed to adapt it to other plants, thus facilitating the global inventory of regulatory regions across species.展开更多
文摘Lignocellulose conversion into cellulosic ethanol and coproducts starts with a pretreatment step.Most current industrial plants of cellulosic ethanol use thermochemical pretreatments under hydrothermal conditions,with or without addition of acid catalyst.Such pretreatments modify biomass chemistry and morphology,particularly at the nanoscale.In this work,we use X-ray diffraction,dynamic vapor sorption and calorimetric thermoporometry to investigate the biomass nanostructural changes promoted by hydrothermal conditions.We compare and differentiate the rind and pith fractions of sugarcane stalks in order to contribute to the understanding of rind-pith contrasting recalcitrance.Moreover,for both cane fractions our results point consistently to cellulose co-crystallization,lignin aggregation,and opening of nanoscale pores as the main nanostructural phenomena occurring during hydrothermal treatments.
基金Supported by Sao Paulo Research Foundation(FAPESP,Brazil,No.07607-8/2013)National Research Council(CNPq,No.150127/2016-2,No.306821/2010-9)
文摘AIM To investigate the effect of probiotic supplementation during the development of an experimental model of colitis associated colon cancer(CAC). METHODS C57 BL/6 mice received an intraperitoneal injection of azoxymethane(10 mg/kg), followed by three cycles of sodium dextran sulphate diluted in water(5% w/v). Probiotic group received daily a mixture of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacil us rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Microbiota composition was assessed by 16 Sr RNA Illumina Hi Seq sequencing. Colon samples were collected for histological analysis. Tumor cytokines was assessed by Real Time-PCR(Polymerase Chain Reaction); and serum cytokines by Multiplex assay. All tests were two-sided. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Graphs were generated and statistical analysis performed using the software Graph Pad Prism 5.0. The project was approved by the institutional review board committee. RESULTS At day 60 after azoxymethane injection, the mean number of tumours in the probiotic group was 40% lower than that in the control group, and the probiotic group exhibited tumours of smaller size(< 2 mm)(P < 0.05). There was no difference in richness and diversity between groups. However, there was a significant difference in beta diversity in the multidimensional scaling analysis. The abundance of the genera Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Allobaculum, Clostridium XI and Clostridium XVⅢ increased in the probiotic group(P < 0.05). The microbial change was accompanied by reduced colitis, demonstrated by a 46% reduction in the colon inflammatory index; reduced expression of the serum chemokines RANTES and Eotaxin; decreased p-IKK and TNF-α and increased IL-10 expression in the colon. CONCLUSION Our results suggest a potential chemopreventive effect of probiotic on CAC. Probiotic supplementation changes microbiota structure and regulates the inflammatory response, reducing colitis and preventing CAC.
文摘Sugarcane is used worldwide for sugar, ethanol and energy production. In Brazil, the shift from burned to unburned harvest systems resulted in increases in nitrogen fertilization rates, which can impact root architecture and biomass. The expectation is also an increase in sugarcane biomass. The study hypothesized that high N rates applied to sugarcane fields increases root growth and N stored in roots, promoting higher biomass and N accumulated in shoots. Two experiments were set up in Southeastern Brazil, on a Typic Kandiudox (TK) and Rhodic Eutrudox (RE). Four treatments were studied 1) N application in the plant-cane (0 and 120 kg·ha-1 N) and 2) N application in the ratoon (0 and 150 kg·ha-1 N). The shoot biomass and the root density (by the core method up to 0.6 m) were evaluated over the first ratoon crop cycle, and the N content in those compartments was also examined. There was no carry over effect on N applied at planting in root and shoot biomass in the ratoon crop cycle. At the RE site, the ratoon N fertilization increased root density in the superficial soil layer (0 - 0.2 m) and close to the plants (<0.3 m). The effect of N addition on root biomass, and biomass and N accumulated in shoot was limited in both sites. Increasing N rates in unburned sugarcane fields do not consistently increases root and shoot biomass under Brazilian field conditions.
文摘The control of gene expression by transcriptional regulators and other types of functional y relevant DNA transactions such as chromatin remodeling and replication underlie a vast spectrum of biological processes in al organisms. DNA transactions require the control ed interaction of proteins with DNA sequence motifs which are often located in nucleosome-depleted regions （NDRs） of the chromatin. Formaldehyde-assisted isolation of regulatory elements （FAIRE） has been established as an easy-to-implement method for the isolation of NDRs from a number of eukaryotic organisms, and it has been successful y employed for the discovery of new regulatory segments in genomic DNA from, for example, yeast, Drosophila, and humans. Until today, however, FAIRE has only rarely been employed in plant research and currently no detailed FAIRE protocol for plants has been published. Here, we provide a step-by-step FAIRE protocol for NDR discovery in Arabidopsis thaliana. We demonstrate that NDRs isolated from plant chromatin are readily amenable to quantitative polymerase chain reaction and next-generation sequencing. Only minor modification of the FAIRE protocol wil be needed to adapt it to other plants, thus facilitating the global inventory of regulatory regions across species.
